More than half of Spaniards believe that the Spanish Housing Law will reduce rental supply

idealista

22 May 2023, 13:22

Although many Spaniards believe that a law regulating the right to housing is needed, they also think that many rental properties could be withdrawn due to the new Housing Law (51%). On the other hand, some believe that the social and affordable rental market is less likely to be increased (44%). This is one of the main conclusions from "New Housing Law perceptions", the report prepared by the Mutua Propietarios Group.

The differences of opinion between tenants and landlords are once again remarkable, as the latter says that the Law will lead to landlords maintaining rented properties less (50%), i.e. landlords themselves seem to be giving a declaration of intent regarding the measures proposed.

The report also highlights that two out of three think the Housing Law will be of little or no use and will not solve the current problems, with renters and younger people being the most in favour of it.

"Housing is a complex issue because it is both a right and a financial asset, which generates a lot of controversy around how it is managed and considerable difficulties in legislating," explained Laura López Demarbre, Deputy General Manager of Strategy, Clients and Alternative Channels at the Mutua Propietarios Group.

The low perception of the law being useful in solving housing problems makes Spaniards pessimistic about its consequences. However, although the law covers all forms of housing, the greatest differences in terms of its suitability are centred on the group related to renting, i.e. tenants and landlords. In fact, 68% of tenants see a need for the law, while this percentage drops to 51% for landlords.

According to the Mutua Propietarios Group study, attitudes to the law also differ according to age and occupation: young people and renters are the most in favour, while older people and, in many cases, retired people (mostly landlords or multiple-property owners) are the biggest critics of the law.

The measures with the highest levels of approval are the tax benefits for landlords (66%); limiting rent increases (64%) and protecting against evictions (62%) and, the one with the least support is increasing taxes on empty homes (39%).